Thursday, March 11, 2010

Sweet Malpua -- sugar uninterrupted

Sweet, soft, layers off goodness. That is what Malpuas are.

I finally gave in and made Malpua this past weekend. How could I let a festival pass by without the food ? And how could just a condensed Milk Cake compensate for "syrup dribbling down your elbows" sweets. Don't you get a kick of licking sugary syrup dribbling down your elbows ? You don't ? Ok I understand, it does get messy and tricky and you need to know the right technique to let it dribble only on the inside and not on the hairy side.

I remember the time I got Rasgullas to work and my inept German boss trying to blend in with the Indian culture (this was way back in India), picked up a rasgulla with his fingers and while trying to pop it in, dribbled syrup all over himself. I left the job soon after.

So anyway, I had this intense feeling of guilt and all because I didn't eat sugary sweets after being doused in color. And that's when I don't even like being doused in color. A large part of my bygone Holi days were spent miserably hiding under the bed and so I really don't want to do that again, the whole color thing that is.

But Malpuas are good, they make you happy, the very thought of eating them makes you happy.So I made some Malpuas, the main excuse being I wanted to carry some for a friend we were visiting after a long time. But you all know that wasn't the real reason, right ?

Malpuas make the world seem perfect though reality might be far from it. So it is really important that you make it. Make it for Ugadi next week or for the Marathi, Kasmiri New Year, come on I insist.

This would be a very typical way a Bong celebrates Holi. Less play, more eat.

There are these delta variations in which you can make Malpuas. I myself had made Pineapple Malpuas long back which was quiet a new twist. But trust me, the original Malpuas with no such fancy addition taste the best. The way my Mom makes it she lets the Malpuas soak in the syrup till they are soft and pillowy. Me, I either brush syrup on them or do a quick dip, because I like the crispiness better. Then again there are the dry kinds called Puas which are not dunked in syrup at all.
This time I added evaporated milk and condensed milk to the batter, but you can just use plain old whole milk and I am quiet certain it will turn out just as good.

Boil 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water till you get a syrup of one single string consistency. You can flavor the syrup with strands of saffron or with drops of rose water

Make the Malpua:

Make a batter with

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida,1/4 cup Semolina/Sooji/Rawa1 cup of evaporated Milk(almost)5 tbsp of Condensed Milk2 tbsp of Sugar1 tsp of Fennel seeds/saunf/MouriNote: Instead of Condensed Milk & Evaporated Milk you can use Whole Milk but then adjust sugar for sweetness

Throw in some golden raisins in the batter and mix.

Let the batter sit for 2-3 hours for best results. At least 20 mins if you are in a rush.

Heat Oil for deep frying in a Kadhai. Note: Shallow frying might work but I have never tried

Give the batter a good mix and pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter in the hot oil to form a circular disc. When the edges turn golden brown, flip and fry till both sides are golden.

Remove with a slotted spoon. Either dunk in sugar syrup or brush both sides generously with the syrup. Note: If you intend to dunk in sugar syrup till malpuas are soaked with the syrup, lessen the sweetness in the batter. I prefer a quick brush with sugar syrup or a quick dunk in the syrup(this is easier). That makes it not very soft but sweet and lightly crisp.

Garnish with slivers of almonds and serve hot. They stay ok for a couple of days when refrigerated but remember to warm before serving.

Get this recipe in my Book coming out soon. Check this blog for further updates.

Yes, I am on Twitter. I really don't know what worldly wisdom I can impart in 140 characters but follow me will you ? "Followers" makes me think I am like the Osho or something and does boost up my otherwise low self esteem. So humor me.

I had these for the first time at a Rajasthani resort close to Hyderabad many yrs ago. They were bring them hot off the pan, and it was d.i.v.i.n.e! I tried them later at other sweet shops but no one gets it right! :( May be I should drop by your place :)

If we are going all the way, why not fry them in ghee instead of oil? Jokes apart, I have had these during weddings and festivities but I am partial to rasgullas and gulab jamuns. That being said, your malpuas look more appetizing versions of what I have seen. :)And yes, I will follow you on twitter if like Sra I can remember my login and password.

In Bangladesh we have another version of this, called poa pitha. we mix rice floer and little semolina and "gur". Ours have to fluff when its put in the oil(otherways its not "poa pitha", ma says so). it looks like...kind of a small bowl hihihi. the texture is a little crispy at the borders and little soft at the middle.and we escape the sugar syrap part. By the way, its my favourite pitha.

Thanks for the comment Sandeepa and I have bookmarked u're pineapple malpuas for the weekend which you have now changed to these sugary lick-till-the-elbow malpuas. I think this wins the race. Yes, my camera is not with me and that had added a delay in blogging. But I can't wait to cook my favorites until it arrives right so made rasagullas last week. And thse malpuas this weekend. We are swimming in sugar syrup ;)

We don't celebrate holi so I could never understand the fun in throwing colours on everyone else and getting "dirty" (do I sound weird?). My daughter would spend her toddler years hiding under her bed on holi! :)

Btw, I'm now following you, and hopefully your self esteem's up a few notches. :D

*sigh* Boondi laddus on one blog, malpuas on another... you guys with your beautiful sweets and photos are NOT helping! :( Wish there was a good sweetshop nearby - but the closest one is like 5000 miles away!

What a timely post...thank you so much!! Turns out I need to bring dessert to a potluck this weekend and I had just begun contemplating Malpuas. Had made them years ago and turns out I hadn't written any proportions down in my extremely abbreviated recipe note...you saved me!!

Sandeepa, Here's an update... the Malpuas were a super duper hit...so thanks again!! I basically followed your proportions but gave them a quick dunk in the syrup instead. Also added cashew and coconut bits to the batter in addition to raisins just because I remember my mom does:)

Fell upon this while searching for a similar dish called "paala puri" (telugu dessert), since I have to make it tomorrow for navratri. This is slightly different though, apparently I have to make puris and then dip them into milk/sugar mix and then remove them..

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Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine